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Nottingham Trent University

In a partnership that dates back to 2007, VMC have been working with NTU to keep them at the forefront of smart card technology and cashless payment systems in higher education.

Nick Bate, VMC Managing Director, said: “We were all delighted that Nottingham Trent University chose VMC to replace the EPoS systems throughout their campus. VMC have been working with the University for 8 years and have worked closely with Nigel Smith over that time to develop cashless payment solutions across the site. Nigel has driven the use of Smartcard systems within the campus and has been a leading exponent for the use of multi-application card technology within the Higher Education sector.”

Nottingham Trent University has a goal to become the “University of the Future”, and to achieve this they have invested millions in re-developing their campus facilities to offer state of the art learning spaces, along with the very latest technology and systems to enable students to get the most from campus life. VMC’s advanced cashless payment systems have played a key role in this ongoing transformation, providing NTU students with easy access to their campus facilities, and helping staff to provide a streamlined and efficient service.

The university smart card is a key element in the success of life on campus; both for students and management, and the smart card scheme in place at NTU is one of the broadest in a UK university. The NTU card encompasses ID, access control, library, print, car parking, local travel and catering – giving students everything they need on one simple card.

As the preferred supplier for cashless payments on site, VMC were asked in 2015 to expand its remit to include the replacement, supply and support of the University’s EPOS system, creating a single supplier end-to-end payment system across both the City and Clifton campuses. With 25 years of experience providing cashless systems and over 2,500 EPOS tills successfully installed across the UK, VMC were the perfect partner to NTU on this next phase of their development project.

The system upgrade proved seamless for smart card users, and has already delivered substantial promotional benefits to the catering team including the ability to manage multiple meal deals, tailored for different locations. Plus, the option to run time, date and location driven marketing campaigns via the customer display screens. Chip and pin devices were also connected to the new EPOS tills accepting contactless and Apple Pay, ensuring an option for visitors to make payments, whilst still keeping the amount of cash being used on site as low as possible.

Julia Slade, NTU Estates & Resources – Catering Team, said: “As the main administrator of the system, I find the back office functions the greatest benefit, reporting in general is excellent and the formats are good. Feedback has been that the operators love their new tills, they find them quicker and easier to use, meaning transaction speeds have greatly improved and queues are minimal.”

Inspirational new facilities for the future

It was a busy summer for NTU as the long-awaited redevelopment of their Clifton Campus was finally completed. The expansion plans included the construction of a centralised hub for catering, security and main reception – The Pavilion. This impressive new building houses a large refectory with multiple serveries, a coffee shop, plus two floors of social study space and enclosed learning areas called Pods.


The new building was designed with a modern, spacious and minimalist feel so it was important that the new tills also reflected this look. VMC’s pole mounted customer marketing screen and till, fitted with the integrated touch and go reader was the ideal design for delivering a clean look in keeping with the modern surroundings, whilst also providing optimum functionality and minimal clutter on the counter space.



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